THE GHOST WALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 64

THE GHOST WALK.

A new edition of "Sinbad the Sailor" at the Princess Theatre. Prices for the Sinbad pantomime are now 4s, 2s 6d, and Is. The rents of the Wellington Opera House last year amounted to £3310. The "Wellington Opera House Co. pay a bonus of £105 to the directors. Picture post-card r.t this office for the Black Family of Musicians. •The Goaaoliers" has been produced with great success in Wellington-. Wombwell and Bsstock's Circus is now showing in the North IslandHarry Quealy is with the "Tambour Major" Comic Opera. Co. in Melbourne. The programme presented by tL'e Fuller Co. al the Alhanibra th.l 3 week 'is vastly satisfying. The Holloway Dramatic Co. conclud-ed its 2Cew Zealand tour nt His Majesty's last evening-. Andrew Black', the baritone, gives his first concert in His Majesty's Theatre this evening. Sir "W. S. Percy has been appearing as The Insect in the recent revival of "Paul Jones" in Sydney. Kubeiik, the famous violinist, who is con> ing out to Australia, missed the San Francisco disaster by a. week. Madame Janson, who delighted opera lovers during the Musgrove season of grand opera, has arrived in Melbourne. Ksported that Slavini, the famous Italian, tragedian, Teoentiy refused an offer of £6500 to play Othello in New' York. Miss Eva, Carrington, th-3 London actress, whom Lord de Clifford -married," is 21 years of age," and Gft ljin in height. Ada Colley ; . the Ajiisti^lian donna., married Leo." Dryden, the actor vocalist, recently in .A.u9traha, at London recently. "Camilla" was* revived in Melbourne recently with Miss Tittell Brune in the name pnrt and Thomas Kings-ton as Arnoand Duval. The Majestic, Orpbeum. and Columbia Theatres are announced, amon» others, to have been destroyed by the earthquake at San Francisco. Giovanni Beanie, engaged in a 21 clays' fast »t Brighton (Eng.) when Bie mail left, haa challenge-d Succhi, the fasting "champion," io " "fast to a finish." Professoi Fred Andrews, of Magic Kettle fame, is managing Edison's Picture Show, which is set down to commence a New Zealand (oui at Wellington. At Perth recently a benefit performance was given by Eickards Co. to Willie Perman. Ppor Perman cake-walks no longer, for he is 'lying seriously ill with, consumption in Westralia. Mr Allan Hamilton has severed his connection with the Brough-Flemming combination, and has taken v over the management of the Yeamans-Trtus Company now in Melbourne. The late George Coppin was over 82 when he made his last appearance on. the stage. It was at the Melbourne Princess, and he played Mr Mould in "2ioi Such a. Fool as He Looks." An . entertainment at the Sydney Cricket Ground by the Eoyal Comic Opera. Company was attended by over 20,000 persons. About £1000 in aid of the theatrical charities was realised. Reported that Alfred Hill has written another comic opera. If "A Moorish Maid" is a, success in Sydney it is th« intention of the Stephenson Co. to start rWiearsing the opera immediately. It is stated that Miss Julia Marlowe, who is shortly to make her appearance in London, has, under the management of 'Mr Clias. Froh<nau, in America, been drawing a minimum* *alary cf £20,000 per annum for a season of -40 weeks or so. Miss Maud Lita, the well-known Austrajian operatic artist, was a passenger for America, by the Ventura, which left Aiwkland on Friday last. Mrs Albert Gran, wife or*the actor of that name, was also a passenger by the same steamer. A novel juvenile production took place recently at the London Alrtwych Theatre, when tho entire adult cast of the pantomime "Bluebell" stood down for one matinee, allowing their places to be taken by under&tudies among the child supernumeraries. "H.M.S. Pinafore" has been played in grange places, and the last was on the deck of the warship Exmouth, when berthed at Sagos. The wr-.ole of the characters, male and female, were played by different officers, tho chaplain taking the part of Ralph Eackstraw. A Belgian nobleman, who disappeared four months ago, has just been traced to the United States, where he was found in the company of an actress, with whom- he had eloped from Paris. Pleading that the actress had hypnotised him, the count was forgiven by his wife, and returned to Brussels with her. Mr Benno Scherck has gone to the United States to assist in the direction of Miss Nellie Stewart's American tour, and also to prepare the way for little Mischa Elman, the boy violinist. Mr Scherek recently toured the English provinces as Mischa Elman's accomr panist, and is one of the most enthusiastic admirers of the wonderful boy. One of the best-known New York actresses, Miss Blanche Bates, has turned farmer as a relief frcm the nervous strain of theatrical work. Sh-e owns 77 acres- ot land, several cows, seven dogs, a. number of horses, and quite an army of chickens. She lives airing them and makes them, her friends, and travels 60 miles a day to and from the theatre. After a- 1-nng sojourn in America, Emma Calve, the French prima donna, has returned to Europe a full-fledged American citizen, as far as language is concerned. In a final interview, denying the report that she %v«s accepting an offer of £400 » week to sing at musichalls, she wa3 asked if she felt sufficiently perfect in English to undertake the task of singing in that language. "Sure, Mike," re- i plied the lady with the most chic Parisian | accent. Captain Burrowes, who has taken over the training of the whole of the animals at Wirth Bros.' Circus, had an encounter with a. young lion in Sydney the other ctey. He was in the enclosed ring, putting the lion through its performance, when he showed fight, and prevented him from leaving the ring. The lion sprang at him,- and Captain Burrowes sustained a scratch on the arm, avoiding further damage to himself by quickly stepping aside. He then killed the lion with a revolver shot. The Howard Bros., who introduced tho "thought transference" turn to Australia when members of Wirth's Circus, are now in America doing the same business. The knowledge one brother had of the articles held by the other in the audience was evidently the outcome of a- very complete code, and must have necessitated an enormous strain on the braina of both. Writing from America, says "Gadfly," the Howards complain of the cold. One suffers from lung trouble, and the two are constantly shifting from cold to warmer climes. Henry Arthur Jones, just returned to Lonftoß from Am.er.ic.ft, is m °st< c&ugtie m Ju<t

remarks on the present-day stage and acto-rs^ "It is a simple fact, £ cannot get my plays acted now as th«y -were '10 yearsago. I have--plays by me that I cannot produce, simply because* I cannot get them properly- acted. I happen to "want an actress of really commanding personality— l cannot get one. Our ■ young actresses play entirely from their nerves; there is no conscious competence and no training," are a few of his opinions on the subject. — San Francisco Dramatic Eeview. ; An extraordinary encounter Gcctirred in tha ; theatre ai Kaschau, Hungary, recently, vbe- | tween the actor and the audience. An operetta called *'Th 3 Battle of Flowers" was being ! performed, and on the previous evenings tho actresses had thrown flowers to some of the occupants of the- stalls. This excited tha jealousy of the actors, and during the next day's performance they pelted the stalls with." potatoes, apples, cabbages, and other vegetables. The recipients x of these gifts replied by breaking off , the backs of the chairs and throwing them at the actor 3, and a free fight ensued. Two actresses were injured, and tie fight was only stopper! by the intervention of the police, who cleared the theatre and made several arrests. Eight thousand people saw Madame Bernhardt play "Camille" , in a. lent here to-night' states 'a Dallas (Texas) telegram of March 28. It was her first, appearance under canvas and the situation seemed^to please her: She gave - her interpretation of "Camille" ,as clever ljr and realistically as if she- were- confronted "by an audience of -Njotv Yorkers or Parisians' iv •the most modern theatres. The tent was " crowded. j!200 scats being occupied and 'as many mote persons standing, ' and ' tli-sre was a line of people outside the" tent a-- block long, trying to get in. The. -money taken for, Ihosale of seats and standing room up to 8 o'clock exceeded ll.OOOdol. The ' : Divino Sara" is appearing under canvas to defeat the ■ American ring who own the principal theatre, and demand extortionate terms. Mr Bernard Shaw finds cause for irritation in the erratic method with which «, playwright's receipts come in. "The way I njftkemoney in the theatre is enough- to demoralise a saint," said he, in ths course of an address at the Imperial Institute on the drama. "For long periods of years I get nothing at ■ all,> and then 1 find myself making money -at the rate of £300 a week. Unfortunately the £300 a week leaves off with disconcerting abrupt-, ness." .It is sad to relate that another dramatist, Mr Arthur Shirley, declines implicitly to believe in the £300 a- week. Mr Shirley, who is having his hundredth play- produced- at tie. Coliseum,, regards the statement as n, joke. "Three hundred shillings a week I should think is -nearer the. average of a- playwright'.<s income." he said to an Express representative. "But Shaw is quite right about the 'disconcerting abruptness' with which the income stops." A very realistic effect, which recalls an incident in connection with Mr George Rig.nold's "Henry V," is reported- from Ivew York. The play, "Gallops." is about a horse of Ifbat name, and on the first night the New York Sun says the audience gob a good deal more thanfhejr monoy's worth, for in the laat act, in addition to an the other climaxes which had been duly rehearsed, bhe horse, on whose back tho hero had just; distinguished .himself, felt through- the stage and .- landedright in the midst of a- pinochle ■ -game in- :- which some of the orchestra players were' 'in--t duigin" inz the,,,.. greenroom, underneath .tha 1 stage. ' 'JJhe audienco^'was allowed to see every,- . ■thing except the pinochle. game. . ,Even,i-il»O'' r ehrill remarks' of th©_ frightened Germans ,n»the horse landed' on top of, -Jhem-^were. "distinctly audible. It' was a novel • episode," and . rarely, if ever, has a stage trap, sprung itself -nto more sensational results.